Finance for Non Financial Managers

Outline

This is a one-day course designed to send you back into your businesses confident in your understanding and application of basic financial terms and concepts.

It assumes no prior knowledge and uses everyday terminology to dispel the mists put up by the financial world which perhaps encourage you to believe it is difficult – it isn’t; and what’s more it can be fun!

You will leave with the ability to:

• Manage working capital and cash flow better
• Maximise profitability
• Be able to read financial statements
• Be able to interpret the figures
• Understand the jargon used in the financial world and enter with confidence into financial conversations back at work

You are encouraged to contribute to the day from your experience and also ask questions at any time.

Course Content

What keeps the finance team awake at night?

The business model

• A memorable model of how businesses work financially
• Sources of capital
• Gearing and its implications for external perception and taxation
• Fixed and variable costs
• Tangible and intangible fixed assets
• EBIT/DA
• How to optimise working capital and cash flow – theory followed by action planning on the way that you can influence your business

Profitability

• A simple model to indicate how to maximise profit
• Terminology explained:

• Gross and net profit
• Contribution
• Retained profit and what
• happens if you don’t
• Margin and breakeven

Understanding published accounts

• Using the accounts of a well-known company, we will show you how to read profit and loss accounts and the balance sheet
• We will also look at some of the ratios used to analyse the figures to review performance, followed by a simple activity to enable you to use your new knowledge

Personal preparation

• Bring with you a copy of the annual report (including the profit and loss accounts [Statement of comprehensive income] and balance sheet) for your company.  Either ask the finance team or go to the investors section on the company’s website
• Watch the news and listen to what is happening out there – we can explain what is going on
• Read the financial pages in the press
• Think about what is being talked about within your business